I don't think higher government employee wages and pensions are best for my state. I shouldn't have to pay for unions to advocate against my own views.

I work as a child support specialist for state government in Illinois. I enjoy my job and want to serve my state; public service is part of who I am. But I don’t want to pay a union to do so.

That’s why I’ve asked the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down the practice of forcing government workers to pay mandatory union fees. My case, Janus v. AFSCME, will be heard by the court on Feb. 26.

Every month, part of my paycheck goes to the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. This is because long before I worked in this role, AFSCME was selected to represent the majority of state government employees in Illinois. When I was hired, no one asked me whether I wanted union representation. I only found out when the money started coming out of my paycheck.

My situation is not unique. AFSCME and other government unions forcibly collect union fees from more than 5 million government workers across the United States.

More than half of the states in the U.S. have laws protecting government employees from being forced to pay union fees in order to pursue their chosen professions, but Illinois is among almost two dozen states that do not.

AFSCME uses my monthly fees to promote an agenda I don’t support.

It’s no secret that Illinois’ finances are in shambles, and AFSCME’s lobbying arm has backed legislation that has bankrupted the state. It’s political arm bankrolls politicians for whom I don’t vote. And AFSCME uses its marketing prowess to provide cover for lawmakers who have allowed the state to rack up billions in unpaid bills.

The union says it is advocating for me, but here is how I see it: At a time when Illinois is drowning in red ink and does not have the money to deliver core services, such as caring for the poor and disadvantaged, the union is wrangling taxpayers for higher wages and pension benefits for state workers — benefits that Illinoisans cannot afford. The union’s fight is not my fight.

AFSCME claims it’s using my money to represent me in bargaining with the state, but I don’t agree with what the union stands for, and I don’t believe it is working for the good of Illinois government. Given the choice, I wouldn’t financially support the union, but for years I haven’t had a choice. Let me out!

Across the country, public school teachers, police officers and other government workers face the same dilemma. Many of these people don’t want to belong to a union, but they don’t want to give up their jobs, either.

The Supreme Court upheld forced union fees in the 1977 case Abood v. Detroit Board of Education. However, over the years, a number of subsequent rulings have begun to question the reasoning and workability of Abood.

In the 2012 case Knox v. SEIU, the court held that union officials must obtain affirmative consent from workers before using union fees for political activities.

The 2014 ruling in Harris v. Quinn relieved home-based caregivers from paying forced fees to the Service Employees International Union.

I had hoped the court would grant freedom for state workers once and for all when it chose to hear Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association in 2015. Rebecca Friedrichs and eight other teachers in California argued that forced union fees for public sector workers violate the First Amendment. The court seemed prepared to rule in Friedrichs’ favor. However, Justice Antonin Scalia’s death just weeks before the case was to be decided left the remaining justices split 4-4. This issue remains unresolved, and it’s time for the Supreme Court to settle it.

So on behalf of all government workers in the country, I am taking my case to the highest court in the land. I hope the court will restore First Amendment rights of free speech & free association to government employees by allowing them the freedom to choose whether they want to belong or pay money to a union at their workplaces. Let us out!

Mark Janus is plaintiff in the U.S. Supreme Court case, Janus v. AFSCME. He is being represented by the Liberty Justice Center and National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation.